[Alex Tatlow]

Dear fellow piano teachers,

I have been contacted by Belgium parents wanting lessons for their son, who is staying in this country on his own.The situation involved the 'parent' sending a cheque payable for a larger amount (eg., the lessons would cost Ł500 but a cheque is sent to the sum of Ł5000, asking the teacher to send back the balance of Ł4500) - this could be money laundering, or it could be a cheque that bounced. Please just ignore the email or make sure you find out more about them.

This is an email of what I received, which I didn't think much of it until I received the wrong amount of money in cheque and a parent constantly ringing me to transfer the rest back to them through Western Union (this require handliung cash!)

Dear Sir/Ma,

I am pleased to contact you, My name is Nara Garfield, from Belgium. I saw your
Biography as Piano Teacher (pianist), hence, my purpose of contacting you.

I just mail to confirm if my 14yrs old son (Paul) can join you in your tutor so
that you can help me teach him how to play the Piano. I so much would love his
dreams to come true as a very good player and I am ready to support him both
morally and financially.

I will want you to give me the price of the tutor for 6 months as I will want
the tutor to hold 3 times in a week and last for 1 hour daily. Note that my son
once had a tutor in January who lost his wife in a car accident and decided to
stop teaching inorder to take proper care of his family.

Additionally, please give me your address or the address of where you normally
teach your students, so that I can have idea of where the lessons will be taking
place, as we are presently out of UK, but arrangement have been concluded for
Paul to come to UK.

Awaiting your swift response

Best Regards

Nara

NOTE: I did not expierince this scam, i saw it in another forum, in 2006 and have had it in a word document scince, so i thought id post it here for you guys to be made aware of it.

[Barrie Heaton]

Thanks

Barrie,
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Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page